What are various tools and techniques deployed by ISRO for land degradation assessment in the country? Discuss the steps taken by the government in past years to combat desertification in the country.
In order to monitor and assess degraded land in the country, ISRO uses Remote Sensing Satellites and Geographical Information System (GIS). These techniques involve effective capturing of data and digital mapping. They are cost effective methods for determining the Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC) and degraded land in the country.
Land degradation is activity that makes land less useful for human beings. It is a serious threat for agricultural productivity in the country. To counter the problem, government has made plans to identify the degraded land and make the country “land degradation neutral” by 2030. Some of steps taken by the government to combat desertification in the country are as follows:
- Rainwater conservation and secondary storage structure under PMKSY
- Conservation & management of agroforestry on bunds/wastelands
- National Watershed Development Projects for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA)
- River Valley Project and Flood Prone River (RVP & FPR)
- Watershed Development Projects for Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA)
- Reclamation and Development of Alkali and Acid Soils (RADAS)
- Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)
- National Action Programme to Combat Desertification
- National Afforestation Programme (NAP) (184 words)